Juan Carlos Laverde, a 34-year-old Colombian, was attacked by an alligator while swimming in a lake in Florida,
USA
, last August 3. Despite the fact that the animal fractured his skull and jaw, the man survived and today he is grateful to be alive to tell his story.
They were little more than 15 seconds, but, for Juan Carlos Laverde, they felt eternal. He was shooting a promotional video for his company at a Tampa lake when he came face to face with an alligator more than 12 feet long.
“It bit me… I had an incredible amount of faith in myself that I wasn’t going to die, but I needed to act.“, said.
That’s what he did. He grabbed the jaw of the animal, whose teeth pierced his head hard. Submerged in the water, Juan Carlos fought for his life until, finally, the alligator “released him and he didn’t have to do it”.
The 34-year-old Colombian went to his experience as a firefighter to bandage his wounds while an ambulance arrived to assist him. The anguish of his loved ones in the hospital was palpable.
“We didn’t know what to expect. What I saw in the emergency room, it was terrible. The bite crushed his skull and pierced his brain.”, assured Christine Laverde, wife of Juan Carlos.
After a six-hour surgery in which part of the right lobe of his brain was removed, Juan Carlos Laverde faces a long recovery. However, he is grateful to be alive.
“What I ask of you is that be strongbecause the world is a really difficult place and it is a challenge to maneuver without God in your hearts, “he said.
He attributes his survival to his determination and his faith.